Sunday 9 September 2007

....and here's the "strand"- # 225

I had hoped to end the week with a beautiful sunset at Strand on the Green, but computer crashes, lost photos, and the lousy, cloudy, unusual weather have conspired against me.

However, here is "the strand". I showed the high tide at the start of the series. Here is the current low tide. At the centre the water is still deep enough for traffic.

I make a guess that this helped to create Strand's development and history. Barges could come up river on a full tide, and at Strand they found an excellent place to lie flat and safe for convenient unloading/reloading. They could then carry grain and agricultural products back into London. As I said, I'm guessing, but it does make sense.

3 comments:

  1. I always think of Strand on the Green as a vibrant waterway, so much for tides!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your reasoning DOES make sense!

    I'm impressed by the high tide differences so fairly far up in the Thames? How many kilometers (not miles, please) up the river is the tide still a problem - or an advantage, as described here by you?

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Peter: allowing for the meandering course of the river, the tidal section runs for about 25 miles (40Km). The tide stops at Teddington Lock just after Richmond. Strand on the Green is about 30Km up river. Because the south east of England is slowly sinking (over millions of years)the river tides are rising higher. In one million years we will probably be gone.

    ReplyDelete